iOS 11.2 is going to support faster 7.5W Qi wireless charging

The iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X all support wireless charging using the Qi standard. It means that iPhones are now compatible with hundreds of chargers out there. But iPhone Qi charging is currently limited to 5W, or the slowest wireless charging speed. Apple is currently working on iOS 11.2 — this update is going to support 7.5W charging.

Wireless charging is nice if you don’t want to plug your phone every time you want to charge it. But it’s not a groundbreaking feature as you still have to plug your charger to the wall. You also need to put your phone on the charger. So it’s not really wireless.

But if you tend to pick up your phone very often and the cable gets in the way, you might want a wireless charger for your desk or nightstand. When new iPhones came out, Apple said that they would only support 5W charging for now.

Apple is currently testing iOS 11.2 with beta testers, and this update unlocks wireless charging speed. 5W wireless charging is more or less as fast as using the charger accessory that comes with the iPhone.

MacRumors tested iOS 11.2 with a 7.5W charger and a 5W charger. After the update, wireless charging with a 7.5W charger was 43 percent faster.

This is encouraging and more useful than wireless charging in its current form. Apple currently sells a Mophie and a Belking charger in its stores. Both support 7.5W charging. Some chargers on Amazon also support 10W or even 15W. It won’t be any use for now, but maybe next year’s iPhone is going to get improved wireless charging.

And if you like cables, don’t forget that you can use a 10/12W iPad charger to charge your iPhone in no time. You’ll have to buy it separately, but it makes a big difference.